Russia-Ukraine Conflict Reveals Weak Spots in US Military Technology

The United States Army has finally come to the painful realization that, despite its undisputably deep pockets and technological edge in other domains, it is only falling further behind in drone warfare. Army leaders publicly acknowledged the gap at the recent Association of the U.S. Army Conference in Washington.

“We’re behind,” said Army Lt. Gen. Charlie Costanza. “I’ll just be candid. … We aren’t moving fast enough. And it really took Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the way they’re innovating and [the] Ukrainians are innovating to realize, ‘Hey, we need to go fast.’ ”

The conflict has shown what happens when drones are used on a massive scale… something the US military has yet to face first-hand. Russia and Ukraine have been forced to innovate in a whole other league, with Ukrainian forces employing small, inexpensive unmanned aerial systems and Russia fielding swarms of loitering munitions and kamikaze drones.

The distinction lies in the fact that Russian and Ukrainian forces didn’t have the time to push drone development aside. Being in combat, Costanza explained, “forces you to be innovative and move quick. We are picking up on that, but we’re not moving quite as fast as I think we need to.”

While the US has not felt pressure to rush its drone development, some warn that its time may be coming. Eric Brock, CEO of Ondas Holdings, said the US is vulnerable to a “Pearl Harbor-style” drone strike and must accelerate efforts to develop a layered defense architecture that integrates detection, jamming, and interception. For the time being, real progress is blocked by supply chain messes and a month-long government shutdown.

One thing all parties seem to agree on is that drones are now central to modern warfare. Manned aircraft, such as the F-35, remain critical for the time being, but fleets of low-cost, autonomous systems to support them are necessary if the US military wants to stay ahead of the game.

FMI: www.army.mil